Breathe
by Lyra Silvertongue
Summary: This is my version of the night that Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter meet. I've been wanting to write this for a REALLY long time!! Please R&R!!


~Note: I am NOT a Mrs. Coulter fan. Actually, I'm more of a Lord Asriel person, but I simply wrote from Mrs. C's POV 'cause she's a woman and I'm a girl and I find it easier to write from the female point of view ^_^~  
  
  
Mrs. Marisa Coulter picked up the stack of mail on her coffee table and flipped through the letters. Bill, Bill, Bill, letter from the Royal Arctic Institute..Marisa stopped and tore at the seal of the letter from the RAI. She'd been waiting for this letter for weeks, this letter which would determine her membership into the RAI. "Dear Mrs. Coulter, we are pleased to inform you..." At this point, Marisa dropped the letter and jumped up and down on her couch, screaming "I got in! I got in!" like a thirteen-year-old girl, not at all like the dignified woman that she was usually. She finally stopped screaming and picked up the letter, read1ing the parts that she had missed. By this time, her husband, Edward Coulter, had come into the room, annoyed by the screaming. "Marisa, do you mind? I'm trying to work!" he snapped irritably. Marisa smiled her sweet, winning smile.  
"Of course, but Edward, look! I was accepted to the Royal Arctic Institute!!"  
"I don't know what you're so excited about," Mr. Coulter said in his dull, blase voice. "The RAI is really not all that it used to be, what with its letting these young hooligans join."  
Marisa sighed. Edward would never understand. Sometimes she wondered if marrying Edward was worth all the power that she gained from being his wife. He was forty-two, graying rapidly, and the most unenthusiastic person on earth, in Marisa's opinion. He never seemed to be able to even pretend to be excited over the things that his 22 year old wife was. "Well, I consider this acceptance to be a great honor," Marisa said, "and I fully intend to make the most of my membership in the RAI."  
Mr. Coulter shrugged indifferently. "Whatever you say, Marisa," he responded. "Oh, and by the way, I have to make a trip to Milan in a week, and I expect you to be at the airport to see me off before going off to your little acceptance party." Marisa nodded, and Edward left the room, taking the stack of bills with him.  
  
The next day, Marisa received a letter from a very good friend of hers, Sir Andrew Mackensie. Andrew had been a close friend since childhood, but he had recently been spending a good deal of time in Norway, so a letter from him was a very special thing indeed. The letter read:  
  
Dear Mari,  
I just heard the news of your acceptance into the Royal Arctic Institute! Congratulations!! Being a member of the RAI, I'll of course be there to see the new members welcomed to the Institute. While traveling in the North, I heard some rather remarkable news. It turns out that Lord Asriel Belacqua is going to be at the RAI to speak about his journeys in the North. You've heard of Lord Asriel, of course, haven't you? He's that remarkable young fellow who made all those incredible discoveries in the North. His speech should be extremely interesting. I met him while in Norway, and he's a very eloquent speaker, and very knowledgeable. You'll like him, I'm sure. Well, I can't wait to see you, Mari!!  
  
Love, Andrew  
  
Marisa smiled. She knew that she could count on Andrew to be excited for her, even if Edward wasn't. "Lord Asriel, huh? This SHOULD be interesting," she murmured, skimming through the letter again. She'd heard incredible things about the wealthy young explorer, and she was very much looking forward to meeting him herself.  
The next week was quite a busy one at the Coulter manor. Mr. Coulter was preparing for his business trip to Milan, while his wife was assembling her wardrobe for her RAI visit. "Okay, I have three business suits and two formals, but what will I do about shoes?" she muttered, moving to her shoe rack. Finally, Marisa managed to put together a stunning wardrobe, which was both professional-looking and flattering at the same time. "Perfect," she commented, smiling happily.  
Finally, the fateful day came. Marisa dressed herself into a sleek black business suit, and pulled her shiny, dark hair up into an elegant upsweep. After applying her makeup, Marisa got into the carriage with Edward, heading for the airport.  
When they arrived at the airport, Edward sent his luggage ahead and looked at his wife. "Marisa, I expect you to behave in a way befitting your station, do you understand?" Marisa stifled the urge to roll her eyes, for he was treating her like a child, which she hated.   
"I will, Edward," she responded, smiling sweetly. He tilted her chin up and kissed her on the mouth. "Goodbye, darling," he said, walking onto the plane.  
"Goodbye, dear," Marisa replied, blowing him a kiss as his plane flew into the distance. She climbed back into the carriage, telling the driver, "The Royal Arctic Institute, please."  
"Righto, marm," the driver said, tipping his hat to her. After a brief drive, the carriage pulled in front of the RAI building. "Here we are, Miz Coulter," the driver announced in his thick Cockney accent.  
"Thank you," Marisa said, paying the driver. Taking a deep breath, Marisa walked into the Royal Arctic Institute. As soon as she walked in, she immediately marveled at the beauty of the building. The RAI was lavishly decorated, with crystal chandeliers and gold-plated decorations, but what was really fascinating was the artifacts that framed the walls, discoveries made by famous Northern explorers. "Amazing.." whispered Marisa, leaning forward to get a closer look at one of the artifacts. Suddenly, a shadow appeared on the glass, and Marisa turned around to see who was behind her.  
"Mari!!" Sir Andrew Mackensie smiled down at her jovially. "You're here!" Marisa smiled and hugged her friend. "Andy! Oh, its so good to see you!!"   
Andrew smiled, his kind brown eyes sparkling with happiness. "Its good to see you, too, lovie," he responded, hugging her again. "I'll have to show you around, Mari, there's so much to see here!"  
"I can't wait to see it all! This place seems absolutely amazing!" Marisa replied, her voice filled with excitement.  
"First, I'll have to introduce you to everyone!" Andrew offered her his arm, which Marisa took. "This way, Mar," he said, leading her into a large ballroom-like chamber. She followed, her monkey daemon perched upon her shoulder. He led her over to a very small group of old, stern looking ladies. "Hello, Dame Hannah!" Andrew said to the oldest, most stern-looking of the ladies.   
"Hello, Sir Andrew, its a pleasure to see you," Dame Hannah responded as Andrew kissed her hand. "And who is your friend?" she asked, turning her gaze to Marisa.  
"This is Mrs. Marisa Coulter, a good friend of mine and a new member of the Royal Arctic Institute. Marisa, this is Dame Hannah, the head of the St. Sophia's College."  
"Its a pleasure to meet you, Dame Hannah," Marisa said, offering her hand to Dame Hannah, who shook it. "Likewise, Mrs. Coulter. I've heard some very interesting things about your travels, my dear. You must tell me more later."  
"Certainly," responded Marisa, smiling charmingly. Bowing to Dame Hannah, Andrew led her over to another group of people.   
After being introduced to many members of the RAI, Andrew finally led Marisa over to a group of three men, two of them younger, and one in his middle-age.  
"This is Lord Carlos Boreal," Andrew said, gesturing to the older man. "Lord Boreal, this is Mrs. Marisa Coulter."   
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Coulter," Lord Boreal said silkily, looking Marisa up and down. He kissed her hand, smiling almost seductively. Marisa smiled back sweetly. "Charmed, I'm sure," she responded.  
"This is Dr. Johannes Braumann," Andrew said, indicating a young, black-haired fellow in glasses. After their introductions, Andrew led her to the third man.  
"And this is the man of the hour, Lord Asriel Belacqua. Lord Asriel, this is Mrs. Marisa Coulter, a new member of the RAI."  
Lord Asriel turned to Marisa, smiling, and she had to catch her breath. He was quite the handsomest man that she had ever seen. He was a tall man, strong and muscular, with a roguish, devil-may-care glint in his dark eyes. His hair was a dark blond, tawny color, contrasting interestingly with his dark eyes. His daemon was a large, majestic-looking snow leopard. "A pleasure, Mrs. Coulter," he said, his voice deep and almost harsh, but not quite.  
"Lovely to meet you, too, my lord," she responded, hoping that he couldn't hear her heart beating. "I've heard some fascinating things about you, Lord Asriel. Your accomplishments are quite remarkable."  
"I've heard quite a bit about you as well, Mrs. Coulter," he said, his eyes glittering. "You seem to be a very clever person yourself."  
Just when Marisa was about to respond, Dame Hannah showed up. "The ladies are all going to dress for dinner, my dear. You are going to be joining us, of course?"  
"Certainly," responded Marisa. "See you at dinner, Andrew. Lord Boreal, Dr. Braumann, Lord Asriel, it was a pleasure to meet you."  
Lord Boreal and Dr. Braumann nodded, and Lord Asriel said, "See you at dinner then, Mrs. Coulter."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Later that evening, Marisa, Dame Hannah, and the other ladies walked down to the dinner hall. Marisa was wearing a sleek black evening dress, which made her look absolutely radiant. The other women frequently shot jealous looks at the beautiful young lady, but she didn't care. "Let the old biddys say what they want," she thought. "I look better than any of them, and they know it."  
Marisa walked over to Sir Andrew, who was deep in discussion with Lord Asriel and Lord Boreal. Spotting her, Andrew waved, gesturing to an empty seat between him and Lord Asriel. Marisa sat down, smiling at the men. "Good evening, gentlemen," she said.   
"Good evening to you, Mrs. Coulter," Lord Boreal responded, looking at her in a way that made her quite annoyed. "Damn perverted old bastard," thought Marisa irritably, smiling charmingly at him. Lord Asriel looked at her and smiled as if he knew what she was thinking, and said, "Hello, Mrs. Coulter," he said pleasantly, but his tone was almost mocking. She turned to face him, still smiling. "Hello, my lord."  
"Well, Mari, I was just telling his Lordship about some of your accomplishments." Marisa looked down modestly. Lord Asriel smiled at her. "Yes, I found much of what Sir Andrew told me to be quite remarkable."  
"Well, nothing compared to what you've done, Lord Asriel! Do tell me about your experiences in the North. I found it to be a fascinating place when I went."  
Lord Asriel began to speak, and Marisa was entranced immediately. His adventures in the North were amazing, and he was an excellent storyteller, for he possessed the gift of making every word he said seem like magic. Marisa found herself telling him all about her own explorations, and the two of them talked and talked for quite a while, as if they'd known each other for years rather than hours. It would have been absolutely heavenly, but Andrew kept looking at her curiously, almost worriedly. "I do hope he doesn't think I'm flirting," thought Marisa with alarm.   
At the end of the dinner, the head of the RAI began the ceremony. When her name was called, Marisa stood up and approached the podium, taking her certificate of membership and making a brief speech. When she sat down, Lord Asriel whispered, "Congratulations." She whispered back, "Thank you."   
Finally, it came time for Lord Asriel to speak. He walked up to the podium--so confidently, Marisa thought,--and began to speak. The entire room hushed instantly, hanging on his every word. Andrew had been right, he was an extremely eloquent speaker. After he finished his speech, there was raucous applause from the audience. Marisa herself applauded until her hands tingled. When he sat down, she remarked, "That was amazing! How did you learn to speak like that?"   
Lord Asriel laughed. "Natural talent, I guess," he commented. "You seem to have quite a talent for it yourself, Mrs. Coulter."  
After dinner, Marisa decided to take a look at the museum part of the RAI. Andrew, who was having a heated debate with Dr. Braumann, declined her offer to come, but Lord Asriel decided to accompany her. "I haven't even seen much of the museum," he said. "I've heard it was very interesting."  
Marisa nodded. "I've heard the same things." She stopped in front of a glass case. "You discovered this?" she asked, pointing to the artifact inside. Lord Asriel nodded. "Yes, while I was in the far North, I found this buried in a glacier. It took a horrendously long time to extract it."  
"Its fascinating," she whispered, awestruck. After staring at the artifact for ten minutes (Marisa was the type of person who liked to spend a long time in museums, looking at each display for a long time,) she moved on to the next glass case. Looking at the artifact, she smiled proudly.  
"This is MY baby," she said, lovingly stroking the glass case. "I found it in Sweden in a snowdrift. Its a Tartar artifact."  
Lord Asriel stared at the artifact, interest on his face. "Incredible..I've never seen one so intricate.." he murmured.  
The two of them stayed up until two in the morning, looking around the museum. Looking up at the clock on the wall, Marisa gasped. "Good God, its two in the morning! I have to go to a meeting tomorrow!"   
Lord Asriel laughed. "So what? You'll still be able to get a decent amount of sleep, if you go in now, Marisa (he'd taken to calling her Marisa now, since they'd been talking for quite a while)." He held out his muscular arm to her. "I'll escort you back to your apartment."   
Marisa smiled. "All right," she said. Lord Asriel and Marisa walked to the RAI apartments, where she was staying (talking all the way, of course). When they reached her door, Lord Asriel said, "Well, here we are."  
"Yes..here we are.." she responded. "I..I had a really good time tonight, Asriel."  
"I did too," he replied, smiling his roguish smile, the one that made her feel like she was melting. He held out his hand to take hers, and raised Marisa's hand to his lips, kissing it. As she lowered her hand, Marisa met Asriel's eyes, and they stared into each other's eyes for a moment, hardly daring to breathe. Slowly, Asriel leaned in and kissed Marisa gently on the mouth. She returned the kiss, feeling light as a feather. She knew that she was sinning..of course she knew. But it just felt so right..so natural..he was kissing her again, and she was returning each caress. Somehow, she got her door unlocked (it was rather unclear how she managed to do that), and said, "Do..do you want to come in?"  
Asriel smiled and nodded, his eyes filled with a hungry glint. She opened the door wider, allowing him to step in, and she followed, closing the door behind her. Moving as quietly and swiftly as his daemon, Asriel took her in his arms and kissed her again. His lips traveled down to her neck, then back up to her mouth. As he continued his caresses, Marisa walked slowly to the bed. Realizing where she was going with this, Asriel lowered her onto the bed. What followed was a night of passion like Marisa had never before experienced with Edward..something magical.  
  
  
~*Okay, what did y'all think? Chapter 2 is gonna be about Marisa getting the news about her pregnancy. PLEASE REVIEW!!! I LOVE REVIEWS!!!!!!*~   



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